Mammoth WVH played the House of Blues San Diego with direct support from Nita Strauss on December 7th. I loved that it was just the two bands! The house was packed, the vibe was awesome, and it also happened to be Nita’s birthday. This is actually the second time I’ve been at one of her shows on her birthday in San Diego. During the middle of their set, her band and Mammoth WVH, along with fans sang Happy Birthday to her.
Her second studio album The Call of the Void released earlier this year is stacked with star guest musicians, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Marty Friedman (Previously Megadeth), Chris Motionless (Motionless in White), David Draiman (Disturbed), Alice Cooper, Alissa White-Gluz (ArchEnemy), Anders Fridén (In Flames), Dorothy, and Lilith Czar.
All of them showed up for this show…
of course, I’m kidding, but that would’ve been amazing. The first five songs were instrumental. Nita is the shredding queen, she’s beautiful and glowing, and it’s mesmerizing watching her on stage. Joining her for the last four songs was vocalist Kasey Karlson (TikTok). She sang “The Wolf You Feed,” “Notorious,” “Dead Inside,” and closing out with “Victorious.” Funny story, later in the night we were sitting on one of the couches and people would walk by several times looking, smiling, and saying “Great job!” or “You sounded great!,” we finally figured out they thought Kaiya was Kasey Karlson.
This was my first time seeing Mammoth WVH. I love that the name of the band is a tribute to his father’s (Eddie Van Halen) first band and adding his own initials. Although I didn’t know many of their songs, the vibe was amazing. I love a mosh pit, but this was a show to just be in awe of the talent and soak in energy. There was a kid, maybe 8 years old, right on the rail, living his best life. He was jumping up and down with the biggest smile on his face the entire time. I love that so much! Wolfgang just seems like a cool, humble guy, happy to be onstage playing for a thousand of his closest friends. They played an amazing 16-song set, starting with “Mammoth,” “Right?,” and “Miles Above Me.” Mid-set was an acoustic version of their 2021 Grammy Nominated Rock Song “Distance,” kind of a tear-jerker, especially if you’ve seen the heartwarming video.
The father/son love is so sweet.
We obviously love live music and go every chance we get, but there are certain shows that touch your soul in a different way. Nita Strauss and Mammoth WVH are musical magic. You leave the venue feeling good, that everything is going to be alright in your world.
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